Summer reading list: Great green reads for kids

Looking for some great books to help your kids learn about the environment as they while away the summer days? Check out these fascinating green reads, each guaranteed to teach your kids something new about the planet and what they can do to protect it. These books are perfect for the elementary school set. For older kids, check out my Summer Reading List for green tweens and teens.

Recycle!: A Handbook for Kids by Gail Gibbons: A well-organized book with primary shapes and colors that are pleasing to little kids, Recycle! shows kids exactly where their garbage is going and what products they could recycle to reduce the amount they send to the landfill.

Planting the Trees of Kenya: The Story of Wangari Maathai by Claire Nivola: Planting the Trees tells the story of Kenyan activist Wangari Maathai, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004 for her environmental and human rights achievements. Founder of the Green Belt Movement, Maathai encouraged people to repair their economy, land and health with simple, environmentally friendly acts, such as planting more trees.

Snowy White World to Save by Stephanie Tara: Snowy White World takes a look at global warming through the perspective of the polar bear. The book uses simple rhymes to depict the story of a typical day in a polar bear family's life and how it is impacted by the changing climate.

The Lorax by Dr. Seuss: The Lorax is a classic story that literally "wrote the book" on teaching kids about the importance of conservation and the inter-dependency of nature. If your kids have not yet read The Lorax, make this the summer that you share it with them.

Why Should I Save Water? by Jen Green: This book offers an excellent introduction to kids about the importance of clean water and what they can do to protect it. Why Should I Save Water? offers kids dozens of ways in which they and their families can avoid wasting water.

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